Nurse, Carer Among 32 New Covid Patients

Hong Kong on Tuesday reported 32 new coronavirus cases, with one infection brought in from elsewhere and nine without any known source.

Speaking at a daily briefing, the Centre for Health Protection's Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said one of the patients with an untraceable source of infection is a nurse who works at two private clinics in Mong Kok and Ho Man Tin.

She works on reception and being as she did not take off her mask while working and ate meals alone, there are no close contacts from the clinics.

But officials said they are nonetheless getting in touch with people who visited the clinics so they can get tested.

Another newly confirmed case is a worker at a home for people with disabilities in Tsing Yi. Two residents who had been under the Covid-19 patient's care are being quarantined, while all the other residents and staff are to be tested for the virus.

The authorities are also ordering mandatory testing for three more buildings after residents from two flats in each block came down with the virus.

Chuang said there are also about 20 new preliminary positive cases.

Meanwhile, she said laboratory tests showed four more patients returning from overseas were confirmed to have the new UK coronavirus variant, bringing the total number of such cases found in the SAR to 15.

Chuang said authorities had expected to find the new variant from people arriving from places other than the UK, and that is why arrivals are being quarantined in hotels for 21 days.